Unfinished Business
by raeganb123
Summary: New Directions graduated 10 years ago. In those years, Puck has become a singing sensation. When he makes his way back to Lima for a reunion, he finds out that Rachel is now a famous movie star who is also a single mother.
1. Chapter 1: The Dreaded Return To Lima

**Disclaimer- I do not own Glee**

**Unfinished Business: Chapter 1**

Puck couldn't believe it. It had been ten years since he had graduated from McKinley.

He made it out of Lima, to the surprise of everyone, except for a select few, and got accepted into USC with a football scholarship. So he packed up his bags and moved to California to play wide-receiver for the Trojans.

His only regret? Not telling Rachel Berry how he felt about her before she left to New York with an engagement ring on her finger belonging to one Finn Hudson.

After college graduation, he didn't know what to do with his life. He began playing on street corners and sidewalks for money. He got a record deal after being discovered by a producer. He had asked him if he would be interested in a record deal by his big-shot company. How could he turn down THAT offer?

His life skyrocketed from there. He released an album with all of the songs he himself wrote, which was number one for weeks. He also sang a duet on the album with Quinn, as friends, which was the number one song on iTunes for almost three weeks. He became famous. Red carpet events and interviews became his life. And he's loved every minute of it.

He'd tried to keep in touch with everyone from Glee, but life happened. Everyone had careers and families to take care of. Those things took presence over some old high school classmates.

Well, they did until they all got a letter in the mail for a Glee club reunion hosted by Will and Emma Schuester in Lima.

Puck didn't think he'd ever been excited to return to Lima. Ever. Until now.

So there he was, on a private jet owned by his record company, heading towards Lima, OH, for a reunion. He couldn't wait to see everyone. He'd heard Quinn was pregnant and that Sam was one excited father-to-be. After her 10 minutes in fame, she'd decided to return home, settle down, and live a more normal and hassle-free life. He'd also heard Mercedes and Shane decided to work things out after 10 years and were now engaged. Mike and Tina were still going strong and were going to be celebrating their 6-year wedding anniversary. Brittany and Santana were also married and were planning on having a child soon.

As for the others, he had no idea. He didn't know how their lives had been, or if they had accomplished what they dreamed of. He didn't know if Kurt and Blaine's relationship lasted, or how Artie was, or if Sugar and Rory were still dating or not.

He didn't even know if Finchel had lasted.

But he did know that Rachel Berry was a worldwide star now. She made it on Broadway after graduating from NYADA. She was Maria in West Side Story. And after West Side Story ended, she became Dorothy in a Wizard of Oz. And after that, she was offered a movie deal with a really large paycheck and an all-star cast.

He hoped she would come to the reunion. And hey, if Finn turned out not to be her leading man anymore, well, it would definitely make this trip worthwhile.

After landing in Lima and catching up with his Mother and sister, he made his way to his old high school, where his little sister was now attending her senior year.

He walked through all of the hallways, passed his old locker and his old classrooms, and made his way into the choir room where he experienced many memories. The melodies and lyrics of Sweet Caroline, Need You Now and Beth filled his head until his entire mind was a colossal symphony. He looked around, noticing Sam and Mike already there with Quinn and Tina. He smiled and greeted them. They hugged and caught up with their lives. Quinn and Sam were having a little girl, which Puck noticed Sam was extremely happy about, while Mike and Tina decided that they were trying to have children.

Finally, everyone started to arrive. He greeted Brittany and Santana with hugs, Artie with a fist bump, and smiled at Rory and Sugar's entwined hands. He looked up in surprise when he saw Kurt and Blaine walked in, holding hands with a young child. Shane and Mercedes were the last couple to arrive, bursting into the room and apologizing for being late.

Everyone began greeting each other, and hugging and laughing and catching up on the past few years. Will and Emma had a child, Xavier, who was 8. Kurt and Blaine were living in New York City together. Kurt was an actor on Broadway and Blaine was a fight instructor. Puck said, "I didn't know you guys had a kid! I'm sure she has a set of lungs on her, since she's your guys' daughter. What's her name?"

Kurt looked at him in a funny way. "Her name is Piper, and she is my goddaughter. NOT my daughter. And yes, considering her parents, she definitely has a set of lungs on her."

"Who's her parents? Maybe I know them."

Kurt laughed. "I'm almost positive you know her mom."

Puck asked, "Really? Who?"

Everyone laughed. Santana answered, "Rachel, of course. And Kurt, hand me our goddaughter. I haven't seen her in a while."

Puck's jaw dropped. "Rachel has a daughter? And Santana of all people is the godmother? Who's the dad?"

Kurt replied, "The guy who played Tony with her in West Side Story."

"Finn isn't the dad?"

Everyone stared at him. Tina looked at him. "Puck, Rachel and Finn have been broken up for almost eight years now."

Puck asked, "How could I have not known this?"

Everyone shrugged. Sam spoke up, "Speaking of which, where is Rachel? I know Finn couldn't make it back because he's stationed in Afghanistan, but Rachel said she planned on coming."

Puck asked, "You talked to Rachel?"

Sam chuckled. "Considering she's my best friend, I talk to her almost every day. And by the way, she said if she has another kid, I get to be the godfather, so too bad everyone!" All the guys except Kurt started pouting and all the girls were laughing.

Kurt spoke up, "Rachel missed her flight out of Australia, so she doesn't think she's coming."

Puck felt stupid asking so many questions, but he had no clue what was going on. "Why is Rachel in Australia, exactly?"

Kurt asked, "Seriously, Puckerman, I know you've been busy, but where have you been? Rachel's in Australia shooting a blockbuster with Megan Fox and Johnny Depp. It's supposed to be the biggest film of her career. Blaine and I have been trusted with Piper until she's done filming. She only has a couple of weeks left of filming and she finally gets to come home."

"How old is Piper?"

Blaine smiled. "Almost 6-years old. She's growing up so fast."

Rachel and Finn are through? Rachel is a single mom? And she can't even make it back to the reunion?

Un-freaking-believable.


	2. Chapter 2: Reunions

**Unfinished Business  
><strong>

The former Glee Club members had been hanging out and catching up with everyone for a few hours when they heard the school doors being thrown open and hurried footsteps rushing down the hallway.

The sound of high heels clacking against the cheap linoleum floor caused the reunited Glee Club to stop and crane their necks to look into the hallway. A midget spitfire who glowed like the sun burst into the choir room, her dark hair slightly askew and her eyes roaming the room looking for something or someone. "Sorry I'm late everyone. Now give me my baby!"

Piper threw herself out of Sam's arms and ran towards Rachel, a smile lighting up her face. "Mommy!"

Rachel caught her daughter and spun her around, laughing giddily. Puck had forgotten how her beauty took his breath away. She had been in his dreams in high school, and Puck assumed that now that he'd lain his eyes on her again, she'd make a recurring appearance in his nighttime fantasies. Sam shoving off his chair caused Puck to snap out of his daydreams of the nights to come. The blonde made his way up to the girl he'd barely said any words to in high school and hugged her tightly, looking as if he never wanted to let her go. Puck felt a ridiculous itch begin to form, an itch caused by jealously. They looked way closer than just two best friends, and Puck thought he imagined a look of pain on Quinn's face before shaking off his imagination.

Santana laughed and threw herself at the mystery that was Rachel Berry. Sam stepped back and made his way back to Quinn, giving the two reunited girls some space. Kurt and Blaine also made their way over quickly to hug her.

Rachel laughed before pulling herself from the group hug. "Sorry I'm late everyone, but I had to make a stop on the way to the US and pick up a few things."

Kurt looked around the room. "What did you have to pick up?"

Finn, dressed in his army fatigues, made his way through the doorway. "She had to pick up me."

Kurt, catching sight of his step-brother, began to weep. He threw himself into Finn's opened arms and bawled, grabbing onto Finn like a life line. Blaine looked at Rachel like Christmas had come early. He laughed in delight before asking her disbelievingly, "How did you do this?"

Rachel shrugged modestly and looked through her eyelashes at Finn and Kurt's reunion. "One of my friends is a corporal and he owes me a few favors. I decided to cash one in. I felt bad about lying about missing my flight, but the flight to pick Finn up was going to take longer than my direct flight to Lima." Rachel made her way to an empty chair and pulled Piper up onto her lap. She smiled down at the little girl that was a miniature version of her mother. "Are you excited for your daddy's wedding?"

Piper giggled in delight before throwing her hands up in the air excitedly. "I'm the flower girl! I have a white dress that Natasha picked out and then Daddy bought me new shoes and Aunt Mercedes and Uncle Kurt are doing my hair!"

Rachel smiled indulgently at Piper. "I can't wait to see your dress. All the boys are gonna be staring at you all night due to how pretty you are."

Puck looked at Blaine questioningly. "Who's Natasha? And Berry's baby daddy is getting married?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at Puck's vocabulary. "Natasha is Piper's stepmother-to-be. And this is thought to be the Broadway wedding of the century. Natasha is a Russian dancer who right now dances in the Broadway musical that Piper's dad stars in. They're getting married on the stage that they perform on together 8 shows a week." Blaine seemed to swoon.

Puck smirked. "So you're saying that they're getting married in the place they spend all their time in. They sound like workaholics to me."

Rachel looked over at Puck for the first time since she arrived. "According to the tabloids, you spend your entire life in those recording studios. Pot, meet kettle."

Rachel smirked at Puck's fake pout. But then Puck's pout became a grin. "Berry, are you saying that you've been keeping tabs on me? What, you miss the gun show?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Have you seen the men I work with? I don't need anymore guys showing me their biceps. But of course I've kept tabs on you, Noah! I'm very proud of everything that you've accomplished."

Puck grinned at the beaming brunette. "Thanks, Rach. Means a lot."

Rachel shrugged modestly. Blaine elbowed her and gave her a meaningful look, and Rachel's eyes widened as if just remembering something.

"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot something. Everyone, I have an announcement." Everyone stopped their conversation and turned to face Rachel. "I've just recently finished my latest movie, and I have an amazing opportunity coming up." Blaine came up and stood next to her. "I'm sorry, _we_ have an amazing opportunity coming up. You are now looking at the future stars of Broadway's Beauty and the Beast. I'm Belle, and Blaine Anderson here is a big furry beast who I get to fall in love with."

Everyone stood up and began congratulating Rachel and Blaine. Piper and Kurt were sitting on their chairs, talking about living in New York. Suddenly, a tall man with tan skin and a wide smile burst through the door.

"Rach!"

Rachel turned around and smiled at the man. "Antony? What are you doing here?"

Suddenly Piper skyrocketed towards the man. "Daddy!"

Puck stared at the man that had knocked up Rachel Berry, Broadway star Antony Benton.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Not really a cliffhanger, but kind of a cliffhanger at the same time. Why's Antony in Lima? Where's his fiance Natasha? Will Puck make a move on Rachel?  
>And two years later, I've returned. So sorry it's taken so long, but I've finally completed Caught In Your Web of Lies and am able to fully focus on this story. Once I'm done with this story, I'll be able to start writing all the new stories that have been going around and around in my head lately. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I can't wait for y'all to read the rest of the story as well! Happy reading!<br>Raegan**


	3. Chapter 3: Bathroom Talks

**Unfinished Business  
><strong>**Chapter Three: Bathroom Talks**

Puck knew shit was about to hit the fan.

Antony Benton... in other words, Puck's hugest rival on the music scene. Before Antony had left for Broadway, he was a very popular singer who's lame and cheesy lyrics made old and young women swoon. Puck's songs, that actually had depth, were also popular, which caused a huge rivalry between the two men.

And now knowing that this idiot, this guy who had tried to ruin Puck's career on several occasions, was the man who had stolen Rachel's heart and fathered her child, only caused Puck to hate him more.

He watched as Antony pulled Rachel into his arms. The way they wrapped their arms around each other, they seemed so familiar, so in tune with each other. Their daughter, Piper, squeezed into the middle, completing the "perfect family" picture. Puck's lip curled, and the feelings of hatred grew stronger for his fellow musician.

Suddenly, a blonde bombshell walked into the room. Rachel's face lit up and she untangled herself from the two and threw herself at the newly arrived girl. "Nat! Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" Rachel exclaimed, hugging the blonde.

The girl smiled and hugged her back. "I came to see you and Piper! Tony told me that you just got back and I had to come see you. I've missed you so much!" The girl spoke with a light Russian accent, not as strong as Puck had originally assumed when he first heard about Natasha. Puck became confused very quickly. Why weren't Natasha and Rachel clawing at each other and pulling hair in a hot cat fight over their shared love? Why was Piper so excited to see Natasha? Shouldn't little girls hate their step-mothers and want their parents to be together?

Sam patted Puck's shoulder, obviously sensing his confusion. "Don't worry, dude. We were all like you at first too. Rachel is the maid of honor at their wedding, since she set the two lovebirds up in the first place. And Natasha gets along great with Piper. They're like best friends, sometimes close enough to make Santana jealous and think that the Russian is tearing her goddaughter away from her. And Rachel is so excited to see both of them happy. Her and Piper both keep asking when the two are going to have children. Rachel's heart is just so big that she will accept anyone into her tight-knit family. She's totally over Antony and just wants what's best for him. They're close friends, but no feelings are involved anymore."

Puck shook his head in disbelief. He knew how accepting and forgiving Rachel could be (exampe: slushies) but he'd never thought it would be to this extent. He kept looking between Rachel, Antony, and Natasha as if to sense the underlying tension, but all it looked like were three friends talking. Piper was back in Santana's lap, practicing Spanish with her godmother.

Antony looked around the room full of people, knowing that everyone was staring at them. When Antony made eye contact with Puck, he stepped back, almost in alarm.

"Noah Puckerman? Puck, is that you?" Antony made his way over to a fake-calm Puck.

Puck shrugged and gave a half-laugh. "The one and only. What brings you to my humble beginnings?"

Antony laughed and slapped Puck on the shoulder, as if he were talking to a regular friend. "Just visiting the mother of my child. I never knew you were in Rach's Glee Club!"

Puck's lip curled a bit when Antony called Rachel the mother of his child, but he stayed calm. "Oh yeah, sophomore through senior year. Me and Rach even dated for a bit."

Antony's eyebrows raised in amusement. "Looks like we both have good taste then." Puck let out an actual chuckle and Antony fist bumped him and walked off.

Puck didn't know when Antony had given up his grudge and rivalry, but Puck thought that the dude might actually be cool to get along with. His successful career on Broadway would probably deter him from returning to the music scene, which kind of made Puck happy.

* * *

><p>The rest of the reunion passed by in a blur.<p>

That is, of course, until Puck ran into a crying Quinn. He was about to walk into the boys' bathroom when he heard a sniffle coming from the girls'. He knocked lightly on the door and cracked it open. "It's Puck. Can I come in?"

He was surprised to hear Quinn's miserable, "Why not?"

Puck cautiously made his way into the bathroom and sat down next to Quinn. She was sitting on the floor stroking her stomach, tears falling silently down her face. "Is something wrong?" Puck asked quietly.

Quinn chuckled darkly. "That's the thing. Nothing should be. I have a successful husband, I'm pregnant with a daughter that I can actually raise this time, and I'm decently famous enough that if things don't work out with Sam's successful job, I could make money in the music industry. But, it's just..." Quinn sobbed, before covering her mouth with her hand to stifle the sounds. "Sam loves Rachel more than he loves me."

Puck turned to face her, an incredulous look on his face. "Why do you think that?"

Quinn laughed, wiping the tears away. "I see the way he looks at her. The way he hugs her. The way he talks to her. But I love him so much that I couldn't bear losing him, so I don't say anything about it. When Rachel got pregnant, Sam said he would be a father to her child. This was when Rachel wasn't sure if she was going to tell Antony about her pregnancy since they weren't in a relationship. They were more friends/co-workers-with-benefits. But she told him no. She said that he shouldn't have to do that and that she was going to talk to Antony and see where they went from there. I was friends with him at the time, and I saw how broken he was about Rachel being pregnant. I think it's because he wanted to actually be the dad of Piper."

"You honestly believe that?"

Quinn and Puck looked up, both looking startled, into the hurt eyes of Rachel and Sam.

Rachel took a step forward, tears in her eyes. "Why would you... How could you think...Quinny?"

Sam stared from the doorway, his eyes locking on a crying Quinn. He moved forward sluggishly, and slowly squatted in front of Quinn, putting them at eye level. "I'm not in love with Rachel."

Quinn flinched. "You act like you are."

Sam sighed and looked down at the ground. "Rach is my best friend in the whole entire world. She's awesome, she's amazing, she's wonderful." Quinn slightly flinched at every compliment he gave Rachel. "But she's not you."

Puck silently stood up and walked over to stand next to Rachel. He took her tiny hand in his, and she squeezed it tightly.

Quinn began to cry openly. "I'm sorry Sammy, I'm sorry Rach, I don't know what's gotten into me lately. It's just that every time I see you two hug or interact in any way, I feel like you two seem more in a relationship than you and I are." Quinn locked eyes with Sam, doubt still in her eyes.

Sam took her hand and held it up to his heart. "You're my _wife_, baby. And I love you so much. I'm so sorry that I haven't made my love more clear for you. You should never have to doubt my love for you. I love you, Lucy Quinn Evans. And yes, me and Rachel are close, but we don't have those feelings for each other. We're just really comfortable with each other, and I'm sorry you mistook that as romantic love."

Rachel let go of Puck's hand and squatted down next to Sam. "You married an amazing guy, Quinny. He offered to be Piper's father because he's an amazing person, not because he was in love with me. If you, or Santana, or anyone else had fallen pregnant, he would have probably done the same thing. That's just who he is. And he loves you and your child so much. His heart is overflowing with love for both of you. And yes, Sam and I love each other, but we're not in love with each other. Sam's my best friend-" Rachel paused and reached out to take the hand of Quinn's that Sam wasn't holding. "-but so are you. I would never do anything to ruin your relationship. We're not in high school anymore, we're not pining over the same guy anymore. Okay?"

Quinn sat up and pulled them both into a bone-crushing hug. "I love you both so much, and I'm so sorry for doubting either one of you for a second."

At the same time, Rachel and Sam said, "I love you too."

Puck and Rachel made their way out of the bathroom to leave the married couple alone. They began to roam their old high school campus, and ended up at the bleachers. They sat in the spots they were in when they broke up sophomore year. Puck frowned when he began to relive the bad memories.

"Noah? Thank you for listening to Quinn. She really needed a shoulder to lean on." Rachel lightly placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it affectionately.

Puck chuckled. "I have a lot of experience with a pregnant Quinn. She used to go on a lot of hormonal rants. It's kind of nice to see that her second pregnancy is almost the same as the first. At first, I thought it was just because I was the one that knocked her up the first time around."

Rachel rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him. "So how do you know Antony?"

Puck's laughter died. He really didn't want to talk to the girl he might still have feelings for about the guy who fathered her child. "We had a bit of a rivalry a few years back when it came to our music. This was after he left Broadway and after Piper was born, even though I didn't know she existed. I stopped thinking about him when he returned to Broadway a few years ago."

Rachel smiled. "He always shines the best when he's on a Broadway stage."

Puck coughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess so."

Rachel turned to face him, staring him straight in the eyes, a serious expression on her face. "I have a very important question to ask you, Noah. Be totally, and completely honest with me."

Puck gulped and nodded. He was starting to sweat, thinking the worst.

Rachel gave him a bright grin. "Will you, Noah Puckerman, sing a duet with me?"

Puck reared back in shock. "Wait, what?"

Rachel shrugged. "My manager wants me to put out a single, so I was thinking of ideas. Then I remembered Need You Now and realized that what I really wanted to do was a duet. With you. You're a very popular artist, we have great musical chemistry and compatibility, and we're a couple of good looking Jews. So why not?"

Puck stared at Rachel, making sure she was being serious. "You want to sing a duet with me?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes, Noah, I want to sing a duet with you."

Puck lost control. He wrapped his arms around her quickly and hauled her so that she was sitting in his lap. He pressed his lips against hers desperately, and grinned when she began to kiss him back.

A few minutes later, he reluctantly pulled back to gasp for breath. Her lips were swollen, and her eyes were still closed. Puck began having flashbacks of them rolling around on her bed when they were dating sophomore year. He forgot how amazing she was at kissing, and how much he enjoyed kissing her.

Rachel's eyelids fluttered as she opened her eyes. She let out a wide grin when she saw Noah's awestruck expression. "Is that a yes?" she asked jokingly.

Puck smirked. "That's a hell yeah, baby."

Puck pulled her in for another kiss, but was interrupted by a light pitter patter of feet coming up the metal stairs.

"Mommy?"

Rachel sat up from Puck's lap and made her way down to her daughter. "Piper? What are you doing out here in the dark? You were supposed to stay with your daddy and Natasha."

Piper giggled. "They started kissing and I came to find you. Who were you kissing?"

Rachel took a step back in disbelief. "What? How? I just- huh?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Mommy, your mouth is all puffy. Remember in that movie you were in when you had to keep kissing that guy and your lips were always puffy afterwards? You look like that."

Puck made his way down to the mother-daughter duo just in time to glimpse a blushing Rachel Berry.

"Piper Arya Benton. You better not go spreading this around to the others. Deal?" Rachel held out her hand for a handshake, which Piper accepted.

Piper squealed when she caught sight of Puck. "Oh my gosh, Mommy! You were kissing the guy who you're obsessed with?" Rachel's face became an even brighter shade of red.

Puck grinned in delight and held out his hand to the little girl. "I'm Noah Puckerman, and I'm the guy who's totally obsessed with your mom."

Piper shook his hand and smiled. She turned to face a still-blushing Rachel. "I like him. You should get married and have a lot of babies." She smiled one last time at Puck and made her way back to the school.

Puck faced Rachel and shrugged comically. "I mean, if it's what she wants." He began to lean in to kiss her again, but she only pecked him chastely and smiled at him.

"Slow down, Casanova. I'm not in the position to be in non-serious relationships. I have a daughter to worry about."

Puck took a step closer to her and recaptured her lips with his. "What if I don't want to be in a non-serious relationship? What if I was in this for the long haul? What if I haven't stopped thinking about you since high school?"

Rachel looked shocked. "Wait, what?"

Puck shook his head in exasperation and smiled. "I want to sing that duet with you, Rach. But I also want to be with you. I want to take you out on dates and have you on my arm at award shows and I want all the magazines to know that you're with me. I want to get to know your daughter and get to know you all over again."

Tears glistened in Rachel's eyes. "You do?"

Puck nodded enthusiastically. "I do. I really do."

Rachel laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Okay." She kissed him passionately, pulling him closer, and yet, not close enough.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Not the end, but the final chapter might be coming soon. Isn't it a good thing that Puck made the decision to come to that reunion after all?**


	4. Chapter 4: Paps and News and Croons

**Two Weeks Later**

"So, I was thinking we should go out for coffee. I really need some caffeine right now." Puck pouted pleadingly at Rachel, who was sitting down at her laptop typing out an email.

Rachel rolled her eyes before standing up reluctantly. "You know I'm a sucker for the puppy dog eyes. All right, let me grab my jacket and tell Santana I'm leaving. Then we'll go."

Puck was in New York for the week, meeting some new producers that were working with his record label. Two weeks after convincing Rachel to give him a chance, they finally got some alone time together when he was sent unexpectedly to New York. He had considered asking his record label to move him to New York, but then he got scared thinking about if him and Rachel didn't work out, then he'd be stuck in NYC. He had prepared himself for a lot of Skype sessions and calls and texts so that the long distance didn't seem like that far, but actually being in New York and being with her was a dream. He got to see her all the time. When he wasn't in meetings, he was at her apartment just spending time with her. Everything was in walking distance from her apartment, which meant there was less chance of paparazzi catching them out and about, especially together.

When him and Rachel left her apartment and headed down the street to Starbucks, Puck boldly took her hand. They walked down the street, hand in hand, and Puck was staring at her in awe as she lit up in her element. New Yorkers walked quickly by, not bothered by the sight of two supposedly single celebrities walking hand in hand down the street. They had places to be and people to see. Tourists, on the other hand, stared at the duo and snapped pictures.

As Puck and Rachel turned the corner to get their coffee, they ran right into a group of paparazzi. Puck pulled Rachel in the coffee shop quickly, but they still heard and saw the flashes and clicks of the camera through the glass walls of Starbucks. As they ordered their drinks and prepared themselves to leave, a little girl ran up to Rachel and hugged her.

"Miss Berry, could I pretty please get your autograph. I don't want to bother you, but I've been wanting to meet you for forever!" The little girl held out a napkin with a pen with a hopeful look on her face.

Rachel smiled down at the girl before taking the napkin and pen and signing her name neatly. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

The girl blushed and looked down at the ground. "Layla, Miss Berry."

Rachel shook the little girl's hand, watching Layla's face light up in delight. "That's a beautiful name. And please, call me Rachel."

Puck and Rachel walked out of Starbucks quickly, fast-walking their way back to Rachel's apartment with the paparazzi hot on their heels.

* * *

><p>When Rachel unlocked her door and the two stumbled into the apartment, Puck let out a breath of relief. "What rumors do you think are going to be spread about us by tomorrow?" Puck asked Rachel. He knew how these things went. For months, magazines were spewing crap about him and Quinn being in a secret relationship, even though his rep always denied the ridiculous rumors. He had never even been to New Zealand, let alone on a secret vacation with Quinn.<p>

Rachel shrugged and hung her jacket up on the hook on the wall. "Pregnancy, for starts."

Puck choked on his coffee, turning to face her. "Seriously?"

Rachel laughed and patted him on the back. "That or a secret affair, maybe even marriage if they put two and two together that we dated in high school."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Some people would print anything about anyone if it meant making a little cash. And it was only two weeks. I seriously doubt any of our classmates even remember it."

Rachel raised her eyebrows at him challengingly. "Sure about that? Kurt brought it up the day before the reunion when I was on the phone with him."

Puck chuckled. "Beyonce's got a photographic memory when it comes to hot guys, and baby, I'm a hot guy."

Rachel smirked as she snaked her arms around his neck and played with his hair. "We're a couple of good-looking Jews, sweetheart."

Reaching down and teasingly biting her bottom lip and sucking, Puck made Rachel swoon. He had forgotten how captivating she was, how her taste was sweet yet spicy, something purely Rachel.

Just when he had reached the promised land and had both hands on her tantalizing behind, her front door swung open and a precocious mini-Rachel came sprinting through the door.

"Mommy!" Piper slid across the floor as she stopped herself from running straight into the entangled couple.

As he looked down at a blushing Rachel who was quickly trying to put distance between them, Piper's father walked through the door, his Russian fiancee hanging onto his arm as she had difficulty walking in her soaring high heeled boots.

Rachel looked even more flustered as Antony and Natasha walked in. "Tony, Nat! I didn't know you'd be stopping by!"

Piper grabbed Rachel's hand and smiled her toothless grin. "I wanted to surprise you, so surprise!"

"If my surprise was you, then it's the best surprise I've ever had," Rachel said as she squatted down and kissed Piper on top of her head.

Natasha stepped forward and hugged Rachel. "Did you get my email about your dress color?"

Puck watched as Rachel's face lit up when talking about Antony and Natasha's wedding. "Mint would look absolutely gorgeous, I agree. And I cannot wait to try on my dress when it's finished."

Natasha smiled and clapped her hands together giddily. "Perfect! Then I'll email you later if I have anymore ideas. Thanks for letting us interrupt your day off. Bye darling!"

And just as quickly as the trio arrived, they disappeared.

* * *

><p>Later, after finally getting to have their perfect high-school-esque makeout session, they returned to their songwriting session, tossing ideas back and forth for their duet.<p>

"Don't you think it should be a sweet yet sultry song, with you crooning out the lyrics?"

Puck frowned. "What, you don't want any romantic duets with me?"

As he saw her furrowed brows soften and a sweet grin take shape, he sighed. He knew he'd always let her win.

"Fine, sweet and sultry it is."

Rachel leaned over and pecked him on the lips. "With extra crooning and-"

"YOU'VE HEARD IT HERE FIRST. HEARTBREAKER NOAH PUCKERMAN AND RACHEL BERRY ARE DATING. PAPARAZZI CAPTURED PHOTOS OF THE HOT DUO ON A COFFEE DATE EARLIER TODAY IN NYC AND SOURCES HAVE JUST TOLD US THAT THEY WERE BOTH IN THEIR HOMETOWN OF LIMA, OH, A FEW WEEKS AGO. NEITHER OF THEIR REPS HAVE RESPONDED AND BERRY'S FORMER FLAME ANTONY BENTON IS KEEPING HUSH HUSH AS WELL. AND WHAT'S THIS ABOUT BENTON AND BERRY'S SECRET SIX-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER? A CLOSE FRIEND OF THE FORMER COUPLE HAS TOLD OUR REPORTERS THAT PIPER ARYA BENTON, 6, IS THE DAUGHTER OF BERRY AND BENTON, CONCEIVED DURING THE RUN OF THE BROADWAY SHOW THEY STARRED IN TOGETHER. HOW HAS THIS CUTE THING-cuts to two photos, one of Rachel and Piper, and one of Antony and Piper-BEEN KEPT SO SECRET? I'M GUESSING SOME VERY TALENTED PRESS REPS AND A LOT OF BRIBERY. WHAT OTHER SECRETS ARE THE BROADWAY STARS HIDING?"

Rachel and Puck stared at the television in shock. Looking over at a defeated looking Rachel, already on the phone with her publicist, Puck knew that this was going to be rough. He put his arm around her and brushed away the tears as she silently cried.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON AND I'M SO SORRY. I broke my ankle over four months ago, and it's been a slow recovery process. I've just gotten off of crutches and I still have almost daily physical therapy. Also, school is keeping me busy and I just haven't found the time lately to write. So sorry, love you all!**


	5. Chapter 5: With Candlelight

It was a rough couple of weeks after Piper's existence was leaked. For the first few days, it was a struggle just to have Rachel stop staring blankly at the wall. Her and Antony were in private meetings with their most trusted advisers to try to find out who leaked Rachel and Antony's most important secret and to decide how they were going to protect Piper from the greedy reporters at their throats.

One of their answers came a few weeks later when Natasha came into one of their private meetings in tears and said that it was her who accidentally leaked the existence of Piper. She had been telling one of her friends about her future step-daughter, and her friend leaked the news. Antony was furious and refused to talk to anyone except Rachel and Piper for days. Natasha was heartbroken and was now staying in Kurt and Blaine's guest bedroom until further notice since Antony refused to speak with her. Rachel, Puck, and Antony were stalked at all hours of the day if they left their apartment, and if Piper came with them the streets were thrown into an uproar of reporters.

Rachel's manager convinced Antony and Rachel to do a press conference, hopefully making the reporters and paparazzi back off a little bit. Rachel spent the next few days being held in Puck's arms, crying for the lost childhood that her and Antony had wanted to give Piper, away from all the stress of reporters and paparazzi.

* * *

><p>As Antony and Rachel sat at a short table facing an entire room of reporters, Puck was babysitting Piper backstage. His instructions were to bring her out only if it was actually necessary.<p>

Rachel and Antony stayed strong during the entire interview, saying how they had wanted to raise their daughter away from the public eye and to give her as normal a childhood as possible. Puck looked through the backstage monitors to see a lot of female reporters wiping their eyes discretely of tears.

Finally, at the end of the press conference, Puck carried Piper out to her parents before quickly making his way backstage again. The front cover of every magazine was Piper hugging both of her parents and kissing Rachel on the cheek.

As predicted, the reporters backed off, but the paparazzi were worse than ever, waiting outside both parents' apartments, taking pictures from outside Piper's preschool, anything they could do to get that front page shot.

After a few more weeks though, the novelty ran off and all of the reporters and paparazzi were parked outside a governor's house where his secret baby with the maid, not his wife, lived. Well, not so secret anymore, anyway.

Rachel was back to her happy, bubbly self, and Puck had never felt more relieved. He could hold her in his arms just because he wanted to, not because she was sobbing. They could take Piper on strolls around Central Park without stopping traffic due to all of the reporters and paparazzi trying to follow them. Puck had never felt happier than when he was acting like a normal boyfriend instead of a world-famous singer dating a movie star and Broadway lead.

As Rachel and Puck finished recording their duet, and Puck's time in New York was coming to a close, he made a spur of the moment decision. He asked his record label for a permanent transfer to NYC, and he bought an engagement ring from Tiffany's.

Puck knew it hadn't been that long since he and Rachel had started their new whirldwind relationship, but nothing had ever felt more right than just the two of them being together.

He planned a romantic evening. Picnic in Central Park, candlelight setting the mood, a bottle of champagne, her favorite Italian food, and a ring box in his jacket pocket. Piper was at Antony's for the night, and Natasha was at a photoshoot in Cancun, but the entire Glee Club, including Finn and Mr. Schue, were waiting in the dark shadows near Puck and Rachel's romantic spot so that they could serenade the couple. As Rachel cuddled up to Puck, ate Italian, and stared up at the sky, some very familiar music began to play...

_Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor  
><em>_Reaching for the phone cuz I can't fight it anymore  
><em>_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind  
><em>_For me it happens all the time_

Rachel watched in shock as her former high school Glee Club serenaded her and Puck with the same song that they had sung together years before. Tears stung her eyes as she watched her friends gesture to Puck, who Rachel now noticed was on his knee and holding out a ring box. She gasped in shock and quickly opened the lid to see what was inside.

The tears began to stream faster as she noticed the diamonds shaped as a small star on a silver band. Puck raised his eyes amusingly when she began to nod so quickly that she looked like a bobble head. He quickly placed the ring on her left ring finger and placed a sweet kiss on her knuckles. When he placed his hand out with a flourish to help her up and slow dance under the stars, the Glee Club members began singing even louder.

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone  
><em>_And I need you now.  
>And I don't know how I can do without<br>I just need you now._

**_Fin._**

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Hey y'all! It's been a long time coming, and we've finally made it! The end, the final chapter of Unfinished Business. I want to thank those of you who have stuck with me from chapter one, even through that two-year hiatus. And I want to thank those of you who have reviewed over and over again. Thanks for putting a smile on my face! Dear Glee Fanfiction-readers. This isn't goodbye, this is just see you later. **

**Love,  
>Raegan<strong>


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